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Now, don’t get me wrong, in their hay day Nintendo rocked. In fact the N64 is probably my favourite console ever. Days spent with friends desperately truing to find more stars in Mario 64, or power sliding to victory in Mario Kart are still some of the fondest memories I have. But that’s in the past, and modern Nintendo could well be the downfall of the modern games industry. And do you know why? Well of course not until I tell you, and I’m about to do just that.
People who have played video games for a long time have come to expect some quality from their games. Be it platform; beat ‘em up, FPS, RPG, gamers who’ve been around long enough to know what the 64 in N64 stands for have evolved with the games. We’ve been through the dark murky waters of the yester years, weathered bad titles and rode of the success of good ones. For every classic there were three very bad titles. But when something was good, it was mind blowing. And real gamers (and I call them that for a reason that will become apparent) have come to know a level of dedication and, well, love for the job from games manufacturers. A sense that getting up on a morning and going to work was a real joy for the development team. Lately however, something has gone awry, and it seems that standards are slipping. And I blame Nintendo.
Since Nintendo released the Wii, a console that requires virtually no skill to play, there has been an influx of people who call themselves gamers. It’s suddenly cool to be nerd, people who’s only knowledge of games coming from the balance board Wii Fit brand of games. At the same time Nintendo realised they didn’t have to try hard anymore with new games released. Just make some cutesy family game, slap on a celebrity endorsement and its easy money. And people lap it up, because to them it’s good gaming, because they don’t really know any different. However this is having a knock on effect with the rest of the games industry, because it’s not only the Wii that’s got newbie’s hooked. Unfortunately the bland and mediocre virus of Nintendo is catching on.
Now I’m not going to say that all new games are crap, and that everything made years ago is a shining example of how things should be, because that’d be wrong. Kind of. It seems that something has been lost in the games development world. Quite a lot of games pushed out at the moment are made with the new fan base in mind, meaning they developers can call it in really. They don’t have to put in the effort to out do themselves like they used to do with a smaller audience. Back in the day a game had to beat all its predecessors, now most of the people who’re buying the games don’t have anything to compare newer titles to, and it’s killing the industry. If you look at a lot of modern titles, really look at them, totally new games, there’s something missing from them. I mean, some titles are unaffected by it. Sports games, for example, can’t really cock them up can you? And regular shooters like Call of Duty. But look at brand new titles, and there’s always something missing. They just seem bland in their execution, almost like all the new ideas have been used and now the developers have to rely on some pretty mediocre concepts. I.E. space marines battling for the sake of humanity against an alien menace wearing power armour. And I think it’s because developers know that they don’t have to work so hard to sell the games, because the audience is so much bigger now. It doesn’t matter if all the die hard fans complain, they can afford to loose them, and still be making money. Which is a shame.
Also, a lot of companies seem to be obsessed with revolutionising things. Now, I’m a massive fan of RPG’s, Final Fantasy being my number one. Now, since the move up to PS2 and the change from Square Soft to Square Enix they’ve constantly being trying to improve upon a pretty solid formula for a game. The new battle systems are a prime example. To me, and this may just be to me, but it seems like all the time in development goes into figuring out new and complex ways to fight. I’m sorry, but an RPG is supposed to be character and story driven, combats just something to link one side quest to the other, and string together the cut scenes and story development. It’s just there to keep us busy whilst we run from one side of the map to the other. To me it seems like progress for progress’ sake. I know its good to keep trying to push the envelope and try new and interesting things, otherwise things will become stale, but I just don’t see how it’s working. Since Final Fantasy 10 (arguably, some will say that 10 was the start of the suck) the series has gone downhill, and pretty much every game since people have bitched about because of how stupid things are, mostly because of the infuriating characters, or the ludicrous combat systems. To me it seems clear what fans want. Male protagonist saves the princess using turn based combat in a fantasy setting. Okay, that’s a little cliche even for me, but to be fair it’s better than Final Fantasy X-2...Sometimes keeping things simple works better, sometimes change for changes sake is just a waste of time.
It’s a shame that in a time when technology is advancing at such an astonishing rate I’ve become disillusioned with my favourite past time. In these days of better graphics and more power the games should be getting better, not worse, which is sadly what it seems like to me. To be fair I think the graphics play a part in it too. Since graphics are now a big part of the product as a whole its almost like time and effort from scripting and story into improving graphics and buffing them into a mirror shine, neglecting the bits of a game which makes it fun. I’d sacrifice all the modern graphics in the world for games that were actually entertaining.
Phew...that was all a bit serious and ranty wasnt it...service as usual next week when I discus the growing threat of the eternal moon war between moon ninja, moon Nazi and raptors.
Warning: This post may or may not be written by a Take That Fan Girl!
On the 27th of June at 00:30, me and my best friend Claire (we are HUGEEEE Take Thatters!) arrived at entrance 11 of Lancashire County Cricket Club. You may be thinking this is far too early, but when you are this excited to see someone, you would wait up ages to see them. We counted up that we stayed awake 40 hours from waking up Friday morning to getting in Sunday morning, hardcore ;)
So after a cold night.waiting outside the gates of the Cricket Club, we were let in to the holding area at 10, waiting a further 6 hours to be let in to the stage area at 4. Me and Claire were 8th and 9th to be searched and scanned and we were able to sprint to the front to wait another 4 hours till 8 to see our beloved boys. It was planned that we would see two support acts, Lady GaGa and Gary Go, but GaGa pulled out at the last minute, leading to 50,000 people shouting their boos at the HD screens. Gary Go pulled out all the stops in his act, singing beautifully and happily and interacting enthusiastically with the crowd. He even sang a cover of Lady GaGa's 'Just Dance,' which everyone in the crowd sang along to, albeit still being annoyed. Only after he finished it started raining extremely heavily, leading the crowd to believe that Take That might cancel. However, after a long pause, The Ringmaster announced that Take That wanted everyone to put down their umbrellas and that they would get wet with us all. What Take That said, we happily followed!
Take That came out in a mysterious, but quite obvious way, being hidden behind huge balloons, which were released to reveal the boys, dressed in simple jeans and black T Shirts. The first song was 'Greatest Day' which seemed quite fitting because it actually was the greatest day of mine and Claire's lives! 'Hello' was the next song and Mark's first solo of the night, leading to Claire going completely crazy! By this time i was in tears, i had seen my Gods in the flesh! Mark sang amazingly, the passion just ran through his veins, the look of happiness on his face was heartwarming to see. 'Could It Be Magic' and 'Pray' saw dance moves that emulated the originals back in the day, they still had it ;) 'A Million Love Songs' caused me to shed even more tears and had the crowd waving along with the boys, mouthing every word, you could really see that Gary meant every word of what he was singing and he sang it with so much enthusiasm and passion. The next song was 'Back For Good' and from the B Stage water was sprayed over the boys just like the video and it was nice to see that they were even wetter than we were.
Finally, 'The Garden' saw Take That on a huge mechanical elephant exiting the B Stahe ready for the Main Stage show.
From the Main Stage, Mark sang 'Shine' with force and his voice was perfect, every note being sang along to. 'Up All Night' saw the band given their own instruments; Gary on Keys, Jason on Guitar and Howard on Drums. Once Mark sung the line 'Would you like to come back to my flat?' the crowd were in hysterics, girls were being pulled out of the crowd after fainting, everyone losing their cool and their make-up!
Jason sang next, with 'Wooden Boat' from 'Beautiful World' and 'How Did It Come To This' from 'The Circus.' His performance was taken in by the crowd with Gary commenting on how tight Jasons trousers were, ending with the crowd chanting 'OFF OFF OFF!'
It was Gary's turn next, with his solo of 'The Circus.' It was beautiful and compelling with just his piano accompanying his voice. (This was when he noticed me and smiled, I went absolutely CRAZY!)
Howard ended up singing one of the best songs of the night. 'What Is Love' was sang with such emotion and during the song, the boys put on their clown make-up ready for the medley.
The medley of 'Do What U Like/ Could It Be Magic/ Take That & Party' was performed at the B Stage due to the dance moves and vigourous routines that they performed. This was my personal favourite bit of the entire show. It gave us a chance to see them perform true old hits that they never really perform nowadays.
'Said It All' was a really emotional and heartfelt performance from Gary, all of them standing at the stage joining in still dressed as clowns, copying their video. 'Never Forget' got the stadium on it's feet again, creating a wave of sound that echoed around the stadium.
'Patience' showed the boys letting the crowd paticipate more by them holding their microphones at the crowd and 'Relight My Fire' was opened by a giant Ringmaster. The was the most risqué of the show as the boys were equipped with whips and joined by women dressed as panthers and cats on leads. The singer doing the female lead was Lolita, the singer of the original song and she lit up the stadium with her gospel voice.
'Hold Up A Light' was the penultimate song, sung by Mark and it lit up the whole crowd. The final song was Take That's best ever song 'Rule The World,' with pyrotechnics and fireworks to end the show with a bang. When they left the stage, the crowd was still cheering and clapping and crying.
I know that me saying that it was the best show on Earth is extremely biased and that i'd say it no matter what, but the truth of the matter is that Take That really pulled out all the stops for this show. They had an entire circus joining them for their performance, with acrobats, trapeze artists, gymnasts, dancers and tightrope walkers. It really was a Circus and they had real stage presence when they performed, but also inbetween songs, interacting with the crowds and making jokes between themselves.
They sung it and i'll say it 'Today this could be... the greatest day of our lives' and trust me, it was!
Charlie phones up BMG to register a complaint about the content in Grand Theft Auto. Recorded in the 90's while he was working for PC Zone, Charlie would prank call game companies. Watch it, then go on YouTube and watch the others.
On behalf of myself and Dietrich (or should that be 'Dietrich and myself'?) I'd like to apologise that we haven't been posting much recently. We've both had a lot on our respective plates, and its good that our other writers can pick up the slack in the meantime. Thanks for that gang and enjoy this video in the meantime - its an... interesting mix.
I was bored earlier this week, so decided to dust off the PlayStation2 and with it, the PS1 classic Medal of Honor. Yes, it's spelt Americanised, but even I must relent and admit that occasionally, spelling doesn't matter. Especially when it comes to a WW2 videogame masterminded by Steven Spielberg (who, apparently, came up with idea while making Saving Private Ryan). It was the first of a long-running franchise - which, by most accounts has run out of steam now - and was released way back in 1991.
What makes it worth revisiting?
Espionage - while most of MoH's levels are based around you shooting Nazi scum, occasionally you have to integrate with them. The espionage levels are something that you don't see much nowadays - you've either got an FPS or a stealth-'em-up, rarely the two combined. Creeping round and flashing ID papers makes for a diverting, interesting change of pace - though it's difficult to get through a whole level without being rumbled (perhaps I was just a bit trigger-happy).
Story - fed up a game where you shoot lots of goons and avoid explosions? Medal of Honor has a story with some depth. Proper missions that are believable and therefore, more fun to play. By planting itself into real history, the game becomes an interactive history lesson as you blow up a Nazi railgun...
Difficulty - I was expecting to fly through a decade-old game with ease - it's not going to be massively challenging, is it? But I fell into a trap of expecting ease, and therefore being gunned down every two minutes. Not only did I miss a mission objective early on, but I also threw a grenade at a Gestapo officer, who picked it up and threw it back at me. I was so surprised that I ended up dead.
Shoot the German grunts and save the world single-handedly
(you are in the American military, of course)
Why should you leave it in the attic?
Graphics - leniency should probably be applied to a ten-year-old game, but the graphics were warping and distorting like nobody's business on a big widescreen TV. I dread to think what eye-clawingly horrific images would result on a high-def TV! Geometric landscapes only half-form, meaning you can't snipe any distance away, and the Germans look suspiciously inbred with catastrophic facial features.
Controls - it took me a good few levels to get to grips with the controls. Maybe I'm just too used to my Wii, but the controls layout confused me no end, leading to atrocious aiming.
Overall, an entertaining return to Second World War. Forget your calls to duty, grab the original daddy of war videogames and immerse yourself in reliably polygonic landscapes and angular guns. Challenging as ever, and with a wide variety of missions (U-boat subterfuge, firefights on the streets of France), Medal of Honor really does deserve its "classic" status.
This took me two bloody hours to make today, so I hope its worth it. Come play my Facebook quiz, 'What Team Fortress 2 Class Are You?'. Its a totally safe application for Facebook, and its recommended that any fans of TF2 go and take it for a laugh.
The Terminator franchise began remarkably well. The Terminator is one the best science-fiction films in existence (100% on Rotten Tomatoes, natch). T2: Judgment Day is seen as just as good, if not better (but I'd say not as good). Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is generally regarded as the films' weakest link. So, what of Terminator Salvation, the fourth entry into this saga?
Much has been made of the directorial appointment for Salvation: McG. Taking over a serious sci-fi series which fans are anxious to see restored to its former glory, McG was never going to be in for much acceptance. But criticising McG is like shooting fish in a barrel. With fish-seeking missiles. He directed Charlie's Angels, his name is an abbreviation. McG does, to his credit, manage to keep good direction - barring one distracting moment of slo-mo, which is a bit too Charlie's Angels. He's no Hitchcock, of course, but the man can wield a camera effectively. Shame about the story, then.
It has only kept the merest sliver of the standard formula for the franchise: protecting someone of future interest. But the original three, as you're doubtless aware, went along these lines: robots go back in time to try to avert human resistance. Here, it's: humans and robots fight each other in set pieces of ever-increasing scale. It's such a drastic break in the mould that it's unwelcome. It's Terminator, Jim, but not as we know it.
The story is not as simple and full of immediate peril as the previous three. Largely because it's not saving somebody's life. It's saving somebody's life, finding out about somebody else's and mounting a massive operation. There's too much clutter to make it the lean chase thrillers before it. The hope for the future is gone, replaced with a bleak outlook of the present. I haven't got a problem with bleak, bleak is interesting and appeals to my inner nihilist - hell, I loved The Dark Knight. But Salvation isn't just bleak, it's boringly so!
Nonetheless, there's some clever bits to the story. Reconciling a slightly limp first half (set up, exposition, a few seen-it-all-before action sequences that seem to rip off M:I-3, War of the Worlds and Transformers) is a twist about Sam Worthington's (rather quite good) Marcus Wright. A fantastic climactic battle with a T-800 is definitely the highlight, and Arnie's CGI'd face doesn't feel like a gimmick. Yet the ultimate ending features a sacrifice you can spot a mile off, and even then it's absurd. The film finally finishes with a foreboding monologue which promises that the war isn't over - hinting at a possible return to Salvation's lands. (Sure the war isn't over, that's part of Terminator's inherent philosophy - there's an unending war which we can't defeat.)
Parts of this futuristic world are fascinating: the variety of Terminators is interesting (but more on that below), and it's good to finally see the human resistance in its full "glory". But it's more of a fascination out of curiosity - we've never been fully immersed here before - than genuine interest. The landscape is fittingly desolate but it's nowhere near as thrilling as a contemporary setting where the imminent threat is more involving. Salvation showing 2018 is more of an experiment with the franchise narrative than a deserving tale in its own right.
Special effects have come a long way since the jerky stop-motion metal skeleton of The Terminator. Huge computer-generated robots dominate the futuristic landscape, but this isn't necessarily good. While they look breathtaking, are they really necessary? Would the Terminators of Skynet really invest in several large mecha? The Mototerminators - autonomous bikes - are a frightening concept, but again, with such vast firepower at their disposal, does Skynet really need its own Hell's Angels? The debate as to what really constitutes logical diegetic choices and what is non-diegetic entertainment will rage on, and I should leave it well alone.
"Mechs are cool, right? I mean sure, it makes no sense - but it's a massive robot! Nobody will care..."
Realistically, Salvation was never going to even be good enough to be linked to the first or second films, and it was really a question of whether or not it beat Rise of the Machines. Maybe I'm reviewing this unfairly, by constantly comparing Salvation to its predecessors. However, that's its problem. If it were a post-apocalyptic film with killer robots, it would be a good-to-great film. But the Terminator badge weighs it down, by inviting comparison to a franchise that it's fundamentally different too. You could argue that such a change is welcome in a stagnating franchise, but there's a reason we've only ever seen the future war in glimpses before: it's dull. Or at least, not as exciting as time-travelling cyborgs.
The game under the microscope today Is Pokemon Snap, anther addition to the already plentiful back catalogue of nintnedo released games about this particular franchise. This game however brings something new to the table. Instead of being the usual stary eyed newbie pokemon trainer who sets out into the world to seek fame and fortune, this time you're a stary eyed newbie pokemon photographer who ventures onto a mysterious Island alone with Professor Oak. Ignoring the creepy undertones there and moving on, its "Todd Snap's" mission to provide good quality pictures for a report that Oak is writting, from his secluded Island...thats mostly untouched by humans... *ahem* You are given a buggy called the Zero-One, and are sent off to the first location to fulfil your mission.
Gameplay wise Pokemon Snap is akin to a rail shooter such as House of the Dead, but instead of horrible zombies who wish nothing more than to suck out all of the delicious nutrients through your still beating heart there are cute and fluffy animals. But don't let that fool you, Pokemon Snap can still thrill even a veteran gamer. The camera is pretty simple point click and can take up to 60 pictures per level. Point click photography may seem a little dull but again its deceptively simple. The better the picture the more points your awarded for it. For example, a picture of a lone Pidgey thats half out of the frame would bring in a meager amount of points. However a picture of a group of Pikachu all performing thunder shock attack would get a great score, because its rare and interesting. The incentive to get try to get better and more interesting pictures is that the points you score are also used to unlock special items and new levels, so its always worth playing a level through once or twice to make sure you got everything. Level variation is good, you get different Pokemon in different habitats, although on occasion it does feel like some crowd favourites *cough*Pikachu*cough* are crowbared into every level. There are seven levels in total: Beach, Tunnel, Volcano, River, Cave, Valley and the hidden special course, the "Rainbow Cloud" level. In addition to the different Pokemon available in each level each level also has a special "Pokemon Sign" that you have to photograph to unlock the special last stage. The graphics are pretty solid in its generation, although sometimes things can suffer from looking a little blocky, but over all the graphics hold their own for this title. In all Pokemon Snap is a classic title. It has a solid base in the Pokemon franchise ensuring it will be greatly recieved. On top of that it has revolutionised the somewhat stale norm of the Pokemon games, introducing a new way to interact with the creatures. Its also varied enough to keep gamers going back again and again, the replay for the game is very high. I'd say people will be playing it for years after its release. Although sometimes it can suffer from poor design and layout its otherwise a great game. I give Pokemon Snap 8/10.
ALICE IN CHAINS ANNOUNCE INTIMATE SONISPHERE ‘WARM DOWN’ SHOW
THE WILDHEARTS AND OTHER BANDS TO JOIN THE AWESOME BILL
Summer is here, the sun is out and festival season has well and truly started! This weekend, Sonisphere kicks off this summer’s European tour in Holland, where METALLICA and SLIPKNOT will be playing. Look out on next week for reviews, photos and reaction from the first ever Sonisphere Festival. SLIPKNOT won two awards at the Golden Gods this week for best international band and best live act and as we know, members of the band will also be at Knebworth, with Corey Taylor’s first ever UK acoustic solo performance, as well as the UK debut of DIRTY LITTLE RABBITS.
Seattle grunge icons ALICE IN CHAINS have announced today that they will be playing a small, intimate gig following their performance at Sonisphere Festival. This amazing gig will be at London’s Scala on Tuesday 4th August and with the first batch of tickets being offered exclusively to founder members club ticket holders. This is fans opportunity to witness Jerry Cantrell and the band on one of their first UK club dates with new vocalist William DuVall. This comes as the band announces the release of the new album Black Gives Way to Blue, due out in September.
Great news for Sonisphere ticket holders, with news of four fantastic reinforcements to back up the already stellar cast. Gutsy rockers THE WILDHEARTS will join the bill on Saturday 1st August. Since frontman (and former Quireboys member) Ginger formed the band in 1989, THE WILDHEARTS have performed to fans around the world, setting new standards for substance abuse, crude behaviour and generally living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. Ahead of their upcoming UK tour, they have chosen to join the line-up at the home of British rock, Knebworth. The incredibly addictive rock of hit singles including Sick Of Drugs, I Wanna Go Where the People Go and So Into You will whip fans into a frenzy in the summer heat of Sonisphere.
Over in Bohemia, and fresh from their Download Festival appearance, Brighton noise merchants ARCHITECTS will be tearing it up with their vicious blend of fast jagged rhythms, complex guitar work and aggressive vocals. Known for their extremely tight stage performance, ARCHITECTS show will be a full on high energy technical spectacular and not to be missed. Drummer Dan Searle comments: "We're so stoked to play Sonisphere! Metallica are playing for Christ's sake - nuff said! The line up is amazing and we're really excited to be a part of it."
York Metallers GLAMOUR OF THE KILL will be heading south to bring a touch of melodic metalness to the proceedings at Knebworth on the Bohemia stage, armed with fast riffing, epic choruses and mighty melodies. The four piece have made quite a name for themselves on the UK metal scene, with rave reviews in the likes of Kerrang! and Metal Hammer and heavy touring earning them a legion of dedicated fans. A perfect compliment to the other bands on the bill, GLAMOUR OF THE KILL will be right at home amongst former touring partners and Sonisphere partners in crime AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. Chris from the band is very enthusiastic: "We're really excited to be on the line-up for this years Sonisphere. Its about time we had more large scale rock/metal festivals in this country and with Metalli-fuckin-ca being on the line-up they havn't got off to a shabby start!"
Finally, flying in from Japan, hotly tipped VAGRANT RECORDS signings FACT will be making their UK debut, also on the cool Bohemia stage. These five masked maniacs combine metallic yet poppy hardcore with dance, electronica and synths, all the while keeping a very heavy emphasis on catchiness. The band have been itching to get back onto the live circuit: "Not only with this be our first show in the UK, it'll be our first show back since our drummer Eiji broke his arm in April. We're super excited and can’t wait for us to get back on road.”
Don't get me wrong, I love Fringe. Ignore the clichés of "The new X Files" and enjoy it. However, it's hardly perfect. This is the second instalment of ongoing series "Cut The Fringe", where I explain my gripes with the show. Why? Because I'm proud of the 3D text logo and the pun-tastic title.
I once read an interview with JJ Abrams, creator of Fringe (he's also done Alias, co-created Lost, and directed Cloverfield, Mission: Impossible III and Star Trek), in which he said "it's not so much sci-fi, as just sci". That was in a Total Film magazine, although the article doesn't seem to have been digitised and isn't available on their website. But trust me on this one.
Really, Abrams, really?
I applaud you for creating the show - I do quite like it - but honestly, who are you trying to fool? The title of show is a reference to "fringe science" - that is, science that is on the outer borders of what we currently know. It's a nifty idea that lets you shove teleportation, parallel universes, psychokinesis and a host other concepts into the plot. This, I have no problem with.
What I do object to is then trying to pass these off as realism. "It could happen" is the idea here. But really, it's conjecture and speculation - that is, in essence, what science-fiction is and always has been about. No doubt that some of Fringe's ideas may one day be possible and accepted. Mary Shelley took her concept - reanimating corpses - and made a damn good story (Frankenstein, if you're a bit slow) out of it. Fringe can do the same. But Shelley didn't go "this could happen!" whenever she had the opportunity. It just makes you look pretentious and silly, rather than accepting your sci-fi is very much fiction.
So, saying I have a lot of free time on my hands is akin to saying the Pope thinks God's a pretty cool guy, its stating the obvious in a painful way. And to fill this spare time I've done what any other gamer would do. I gamed. Obviously. But unfortunatly for me I don't really have a stable income. This does cause problems with my gaming habits, because as well all know new games cost money, hell even old games cost a few bob. So after a few weeks of what can only be described as intense gaming I stood up and looked at what I had completed. Then I sat back down to play them all over again because there was nothing else to do. Now, if one were to do this properly it would be poor sport. All the major plot points and revalations and what not would be fresh in the memory. I took a different route on this. Take GTA 4 for example. I played it a lot, to the point that car chases ending in firey hell explosions that take out half the police force and a sizable chunk of the local populace had started to get...well a little mundane. Then I has me a brain wave. What if I change things up a bit? So I do. I made up an entirely new plot for the game, which was suprisingly easy. A game that offers as much variation as GTA is an easy game to do it for. I simply started playing like a was actually a police officer. I'd clock on at 12pm, do the night shift till about 9am, then do whatever i felt like (within the law) during the day. Then I went one step further, I invented plot, my hooker friend had been murdered and I was framed for it, and I had to work outside the law to clear my name and find out who killed her and why. Not original I know, but it worked. And it does work, for this game and others. Infinite Undiscovery, turned off the sound and added my own dubs, the party are now hippies who are totally trippin' balls who are tryin to liberate the mooooon. In conclusion my point is I really really need a job.
Its a house mash-up mix of a few popular artists, including er... Frank Sinatra. Its by ye olde mix master Pete Dirts (otherwise known as 'Dirty Pete'). If house is your thing, take a listen.
So anyway, I was Googling my name today, and came across my very old Flickr photostream. While a lot of the memes and pictures on it are pretty unoriginal by now, they did offer some laughs.
Written by: Scott This article is really a foil to JDV's, over here. Check it out, read his opinion, then come back to my post.
John highlights a tonne of benefits about social media marketing. Its true that social media lets you see your customers as people instead of numbers, but is that what we really want in these harsh economic times? Connecting with your audience is important for any business, but unless such a connection actively converts into money, then your investors will not be too happy to see you're spending all your time on Facebook and Twitter. It makes me cringe when I see big businesses piling money into methods of marketing such as social media which have become over-saturated very quickly. Anyway, let's focus on the points that John argues are the benefits of social marketing to a business - even if it fails.
'Even if it fails, it has changed the face of business'
This is something I agree with, but it simply means that its not for everyone. Television 'changed the face of business', seizing advertising revenue from newspapers. In the same way, social media sites are now capitalising on their popularity and making sales left, right and center. Does this mean that social media is right for every business? No. Yet some people choose to see it as such. A lot of marketing campaigns on these sites simply consist of setting up a fan page for their product and hoping people will join up. We all know this is the wrong way to go about marketing through these means, but people are climbing on the bandwagon haphazardly and make clumsy mistakes as a result. Because its changing the face of business, these sites are becoming over-saturated by idiots who continue to suck the tit of novelty dry.
'Treat People Like Humans
Be Human
You need to interact like a human. Humans listen. Humans Converse. Humans also admit when they are wrong. Your organization needs to be human. '
Are we human, or are we daaaaancers? Customers should have been treated like humans since Day 1. A good business doesn't have to demonstrate its customer service through a flashy profile page or other such nonsense. Its rare that a business will use social media as a way of communication, but as simply exposition. This goes against everything people like myself and John believe social media marketing to be about, but again is a result of ignorant buffoons getting on a bandwagon with the wrong impression.
Furthermore, conversing with people alone doesn't make sales. If I rang up some of my advertising clients and asked to have a 'conversation' with them, they'd be 1) Taken a-back and then 2) Proceed to tell me everything that is good and bad about our website.
Such conversations are a great way to get feedback and resolve any issues between us and the client. All the same, for many products this is exactly what specific panel discussions are designed for. 'Conversation' doesn't make money. People don't go to business school to learn the art of communication. They learn to buy, sell and make successful pitches.
Social media works both ways too. It allows consumers to see us as humans, and certain individuals will take full advantage of this to give us all negative images. Say, if people find a certain product/post/whatever not aimed at them at all uninteresting (as you'd expect), they'll feel free to tell you. This needlessly reflects negatively on your company. The customer isn't always right and, given the opportunity, will often go out of their way to give your business a bad name for no real reason. Thus, social marketing outlets need to be moderated far more closely than other methods.
'So what if Social Media fails
Your company should not be looking at how to incorporate social media, or questioning whether Twitter really means anything - instead, you should be looking at how to make your company more human.'
I definitely agree that companies should work to treat their customers like humans, but marketing is often directed at people who are not customers. In a recession, business should be focusing on their loyal base of fans, not going out on a limb to try and get new folks that will potentially not stick around.
Furthermore, social media is probably the best ways of marketing for blogs like us. But would I be willing to pay someone to sit on Facebook all day, updating a pretty profile page? No. If the rest of my marketing campaigns were doing well and I had a strong product already, then social media would appear to be a bit of a waste. Just because us bloggers can get people on our website by advertising relevant articles on Twitter, it doesn't mean that Topman can get people to rush out and buy clothes by working the same tactic.
The Three Rs have long spoke about putting on events and that is still the case. So look out for R FESTIVAL soon. But in the meantime, I have been doing a bit of my own work regarding events and have put on an live indie night at Leeds Cockpit under the moniker of "INDIE-Pendence Day" on July 4th.
The event is only £3 for 3 bands so it's value for money and you don't even have to leave your seat to buy a ticket! So come on, be there and come say hello to your friends at The Three Rs.
So, I’ve really gotten into the X-Files as of late. Now in my opinion its a good show, but then again anything with David Duchovny in it is good in my book, like the film Evolution which is possibly one of my favourite films ever. However as good as the show is there are some small things I’ve noticed, the flies in my ointment if you will, the bug on an otherwise pretty tasty and delicious cake. One of them is Gillian Anderson or Dana Scully’s frequent wearing of skirts. Now, I’m no F.B.I agent, but surely in a job like that where danger is around the corner a skirt cant be very practical, nor her heals. And whilst I’m on the subject of Miss Scully, why can she do nothing. Now I’m only on season 3, but so far there have been a tonne of instances in which she is armed and is somehow subjuded by an unarmed assailant. Again surely in F.B.I basic training you should learn to not get beaten about by ever dude you try to take in for questioning. Plus whenever anyone ever gets shot its usually fatal, no matter where it is. I often asked myself whilst watching Mr Duchovny running after some perp why he didn't just shoot them in the leg to stop them, but then it dawned on my that usually you want to question people your after, and in X-Files universe any bullet anywhere is fatal. Forever
Also, the lights. Whenever they go anywhere its always at night and the lights are always out. After about 5 episodes I was shouting at Scully in frustration because she was still trying the lights. I mean seriously woman, the light isnt going to work, it never does, so stop wasting time trying the switch and spend the time you would have done gawping like an idiot into the darkness to check behind you cuz some bad guy is about to club ya. I know its done to build tension, chasing aliens in the light isnt much fun, but sometimes some common sense would have been nice. “Hmm...perhapse going into the dark half derelict warehouse at the dead of night isnt the best idea Scully, lets check it out tomorrow” (I had this line delivered by Mulder because he is obviously smarter than that silly Scully anyway)
However what suprises me about the show is that it somehow manages to keep suprising me. On more than one occasion I found myself thinking “great, another episode about (insert unexplained phenomenon here)” But by the end of it I’d be thinking “Hey, how great that turned out to be, it totally wasnt even about the same thing really, they really turned that one around.”
So sure the show may not be without flaws, but if you have a lot of spare time to kill then you might as well cram watch some. And if anyone says anything against David Duchovny I will personally track you down and nut you.
Cuz he’s awesome.
Specially in Evolution.
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I mean seriously, did you even see that bit with the shotguns that leads straight into Wild Cherrys Play that funky music? It rocked!!!
One of the worlds newest and most exciting festival, Sonisphere, have released day tickets that you can snap up for £67.50 on THURSDAY 4TH JUNE at 9AM, and of course this does not include any hidden extra costs like booking fees as the organisers abolished those weeks ago!
Fans now have the opportunity to select the day that they would rather put all their energy into ripping it up and generally partying so hard that they can’t manage a second day of it! So whether your preference is Metallica, NIN and Mastodon or Linkin Park, Heaven & Hell and Taking Back Sunday, one thing is clear, whichever day you want to go, it will be a day full of some of the greatest rock music on the planet at the moment.
Sonisphere Festival is set to start touring Europe in less than three weeks, and the festival organisers have already announced the stage splits on the two outdoor stages at Knebworth on 1st and 2nd August (see overleaf), and the schedule of the bands will ensure that you will not miss a power chord from ANY of the acts. There will also be more shenanigans and bands to be announced in the Bohemia area in the coming weeks.
Long, long ago - before even I (an omnipresent God, by the way) began scribbling for The Three Rs - Dee4leeds entertained the masses with "Dumb Questions" - a series of posts that set out to answer those dumb questions you see all over the Internet posted by people who think they're clever. Actually, they're being silly.
Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?
So zombies can't escape! That's a terrifying situation, and the more precautions taken, the better, as far as I'm concerned. It also stops the coffin collapsing under the weight of the earth put on top of it; which will then leave the deceased to have a dignified death, not covered in soil.
Why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor when you can't drink and drive?
In short: you don't.
In length: you need any form of legal identification. A driver's licence (spelt the English way, you'll notice) is generally the most available form of ID to those of the legal age to buy alcohol. A passport could just as easily be used to prove one's identity. And the point is moot anyway: buying alcohol (sorry, "liquor") does not mean one is going to instantly drink it and then immediately go driving. What sort of crazy world presumes such nonsense?
Why is the third hand on the watch called second hand?
Because it counts the seconds! Granted, out-of-context, "second hand" may lead you to think it is the middle of three, but in context with "hour hand" and "minute hand" it becomes abundantly clear what is meant - thanks to the social construction of semantics, which you're attempting to disregard for a cheap laugh. Bravo.
Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
I may only have a GCSE in Geography, but even I have heard the phrase "rainfall".
If you mated a bulldog and a shitsu, would it be called a bullshit?
Well, really it's spelt Shih Tzu, so by your (impeccable) logic, it would be a Bullshih. Yeah, not quite as funny now, is it?
Why is a person that handles your money called a 'Broker'?
What do I know about this? Go ask those fat cats in Washington...
Written by: Kotaku (or 'Kokatu', as I once spelled it)
Today, me and Dee were discussing the effectiveness of the American political system, and how recently the usual non-voters have been voting. Take a look at this peaceful protester, marching about Obama getting too much power.
Bowser recently went into town to speak his mind about the dangers of unchecked power in the executive branch. Funny that a monarch would feel that way, but it's a free country, brah. More pics on the jump.
We got the link to this Flickr set, uploaded yesterday, but no explanation other than the location of the protest: Northampton, Mass., or so it said anyway.
I had a feeling Bowser is the kind of guy who supports a strong military. Of course, this is a funny picture in its own right. But once you make the sign, you gotta go wave it, and Bowser takes it downtown.
Here you can see Northamptonites wondering WTF a Tanooki suit is. Look, you can fly with it, you can turn into a statue ... never mind.
The protest culture in Northampton, Mass., must make San Francisco look like Pensacola, if three guys don't even bat a fuckin' eye at an anthropomorphic spiked turtle turtle picketing in front of a local bank.
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Here you can see Northamptonites wondering WTF a Tanooki suit is. Look, you can fly with it, you can turn into a statue ... never mind.
The protest culture in Northampton, Mass., must make San Francisco look like Pensacola, if three guys don't even bat a fuckin' eye at an anthropomorphic spiked turtle turtle picketing in front of a local bank.